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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Article 2 of the Convention. Issuance of seafarers’ identity documents. The Committee notes with regret from the Government’s report that the practice of issuing seafarers’ identity documents was discontinued prior to 1990. The Government states that the administration is currently reviewing the re-issuing of seafarers’ identity documents.

The Committee urges the Government to take the appropriate measures to bring national law and practice into conformity with the Convention. It requests the Government to submit a detailed report with information on each Article of the Convention and on each of the questions set out in the report form adopted by the Governing Body, indicating the specific provisions in national legislation that correspond to each of the provisions of this Convention, as required by Part  II of the report form. Please also supply a copy of the national laws or regulations giving effect to the Convention (e.g. the Immigration Ordinance Chapter 76, Volume I, 1957), as well as a specimen of the newly issued seafarers’ identity document.

Furthermore, the Committee invites the Government to consider the possibility of ratifying the Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 (No. 185), which would result in the automatic denunciation of this Convention. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on consultations which have been held on this matter.